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Energy Usage and Waste

 

 

 

 

 

Energy Usage and Waste:

Energy is wasted within all homes and there are many forms of stopping this of happening. Many little careless things are causing the energy in your home to be wasted; (e.g. leaving lights on, not switching off plugs, i.e. phone charger, televisions etc.). Another source of energy wastage is through insufficient insulation, for example, loft and wall insulation. In a year you can save up to £350 on energy within households.

 

However, this is nothing compared to the whopping figure that is created from businesses in the UK. An approximated statistic shows that businesses in the United Kingdom uncultivated £12.7 billion on energy. Little industrial things such as shops leaving doors open during the winter are some of many miniscule things that are squandered annually. Equivalently, supermarkets not having doors on freezers and offices not switching off their lights and computers are more features of industrial energy being wasted.

 

 

 

Within an average home the percentages of energy waste confirm that 25% of energy loss is through the roof, 15% through doors, 5-10% from windows, 15% from 10-15% from floors and a huge 35% from walls.

The possible solutions are:

  • Wall cavity insulation – can decrease the mammoth 35% of energy wastage through walls

  • Not leaving electrical devices on stand-by; - statistics show that households are most likely to leave 98% of mobile phone chargers on standby and that £28.9 million of energy is wasted yearly

  • Fitting a thermostat to control heating

  • Fitting and insulating a boiler; - to trap heat

  • Draw curtains on cold nights to trap heat

  • Run appliances on eco-mode

  • Dry clothing on stands when weather permits

  • Only heat lived-in rooms

  • Tinted windows to prevent temperature extremes

  • Installing double glazing

These are some of many ways of reducing energy wastage at a local scale. Eastcroft District Heating Scheme in Nottingham use the energy produced from incinerations to provide heating and electricity to thousands of homes.

 

Chris Huhne from the Department of Energy and Climate change has approached energy wastage within the UK via the 2007 Energy White Paper and the 2009 Low Carbon Transition plans. The UK government is committed to diminish Britain’s energy wastage.

It is attempting this by:

  • Encourage businesses to improve efficiency the government fund to the Carbon Trust, (an organization which provides advice and training sessions to help companies streamline their energy usage)

  • TAX breaks are offered to businesses that meet energy efficiency targets

  • High standards of energy efficiency has been added to building standard regulations

  • Energy efficiency certificates have been introduced for electrical appliances, cars and homes so that consumers make environmentally friendly choices

  • £1.8 million has been provided to support grants for homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their property

  • Easier planning permissions for homeowners to be able to install wind turbines and solar panels to their homes

  • Various education programs have been launched to help homeowners understand energy wastage

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